The Red New Deal Book Club Questions
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The Red New Deal Book Club Questions
Use these book club questions to guide a focused conversation about The Red New Deal, its warnings about socialism, and its reflections on freedom, human rights, and political power.
These prompts are designed to help readers connect the book’s stories and arguments to their own views on ideology, class, and the future of democratic societies.
In brief
- Discuss how the book contrasts environments where questions about election results are treated as toxic with the U.S. founders’ view that human rights are God-given, not granted by the state.
- Explore the author’s concerns about socialism, including class victimization, double-speak, and the division of society into fixed groups of victims and oppressors.
- Invite readers to reflect on the parallels the author draws between Soviet-era ideology and current trends in American political culture, media, and public discourse.
What to do
Begin your discussion with the book’s treatment of elections and human rights. How does the author describe situations where questions or debate about election results become highly toxic, and what risks does he see in that climate? Ask your group to compare this with the opposite approach he attributes to the U.S. founders, who are presented as believing that human rights are God-given rather than granted by the state. Encourage participants to share how these contrasting views shape their understanding of legitimate authority and political disagreement.
Next, turn to the book’s critique of power and enforced conformity. The author describes how one of Putin’s cronies, Kadyrov, uses threats of violence to force people, including politicians, judges, and military troops, to apologize when he considers their statements hurtful. He then references a public figure who, in his view, “took a page” from this approach by offering a profuse and sheepish apology. Invite your group to discuss what this example suggests about pressure, fear, and self-censorship, and how it relates to broader concerns about freedom of expression.
Finally, use the author’s closing reflections to deepen the conversation about socialism and its dangers. He writes that when we begin talking “crap,” we know we have reached the bottom of the barrel, and he argues that socialism is dangerous for children, motherlands, the human race, and the future. Ask participants which parts of the book most strongly support this claim, and whether they agree with his assessment. Encourage them to identify passages that challenged their assumptions, and to consider how the book’s tone, examples, and language influence their response.
What to keep in mind
This set of questions is best suited for readers who want to engage seriously with The Red New Deal as a critique of socialism and communist ideology. The author uses the color “red” to refer to communist movements and describes how, in his view, socialism relies on victimization and the division of society into classes of victims and oppressors. Book clubs that are ready to examine strong opinions about ideology, power, and history will find ample material to discuss.
The book presents Marxism as a foundation for socialism that elevates proletarians as the only class fit to rule, while portraying intelligentsia and peasants as not fully ideologically fit, regardless of their character, skills, or achievements. It also highlights how, in socialism, a person’s class is said to doom their plight, leaving them powerless to change it. When using these questions, be prepared for conversations about inherited guilt, class-based blame, and the author’s comparison between Soviet-era attitudes and trends he sees in American culture.
The author introduces the term “sovok,” a derogatory word combining “scoop” and “Soviet,” to describe a fascination with socialism, socialist principles, political correctness, and what he calls “woke-ness,” along with the double-speak and hypocrisy he associates with them. Readers should expect a critical perspective on these themes and may not all share the author’s conclusions. Set expectations in your group that the goal is to understand the arguments in The Red New Deal, consider the historical experiences it draws on, and discuss where participants agree or disagree.